Hollywood Going Green for Earth Day

If you're hoping Hollywood can help you get in the mood for Earth Day this year, you're in luck. April 22 (the 40th anniversary of Earth Day's inception) will mark the theatrical release of Disneynature's 'Oceans', and Twentieth Century Fox is set to unleash 'Avatar''s Blu-ray/DVD edition – even though the mega-hit is still playing in theatres.

Disney figured out there was some green in going "green" on Earth Day last year, when it released the nature doc 'Earth'. The film is narrated by James Earl Jones, and follows the migration paths of four (very cute) animal families. 'Earth' was hugely successful, so Disney is doing it all again this year with 'Oceans.' The beautifully-shot doc will offer audiences a peek at the "playful splendour and harsh reality" of life under the sea.

If you're hoping Hollywood can help you get in the mood for Earth Day this year, you're in luck. April 22 (the 40th anniversary of Earth Day's inception) will mark the theatrical release of Disneynature's 'Oceans', and Twentieth Century Fox is set to unleash 'Avatar''s Blu-ray/DVD edition – even though the mega-hit is still playing in theatres.

Disney figured out there was some green in going "green" on Earth Day last year, when it released the nature doc 'Earth'. The film is narrated by James Earl Jones, and follows the migration paths of four (very cute) animal families. 'Earth' was hugely successful, so Disney is doing it all again this year with 'Oceans.' The beautifully-shot doc will offer audiences a peek at the "playful splendour and harsh reality" of life under the sea.

Disney was one of the last major corporations to jump on the green bandwagon, just releasing a comprehensive corporate responsibility plan last year. After all, Disneyland and Disney World aren't exactly beacons of environmentally-responsible behaviour. From the fuel-guzzling rides to the amount of packaging-related waste from all of those tasty amusement park snacks, conservation isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Magic Kingdom.

So, in order to help gain some credibility with its green claims, Disneynature is pledging to donate 20 cents for each ticket sold during 'Oceans' opening week to The Nature Conservancy's Adopt a Reef Program. Not bad. Every little bit helps, after all. And if 'Oceans' performs even half as well as 'Earth' did, that should translate into some serious money to protect coral reefs in the Bahamas.

If you'd rather get your Earth Day on at home, you can pick up 'Avatar' on Blu-ray and DVD. Canadian director James Cameron has said he's hoping the Earth Day release will help maintain the conversations about environmental protection the film initially sparked.

The blockbuster's eco-friendly message is anything but subtle: Evil American businessmen seek to exploit the pristine habitat of the peaceful Na'vi for financial gain. Fans inspired to take action can join 'The Avatar Program' online (coming soon on the official 'Avatar' website), and have the opportunity to adopt one of the one million trees planted by Twentieth Century Fox by the end of 2010. You can even see where your tree will be planted.

Those looking for special DVD features will have to wait until November, when a separate edition with bonus features will be released. April's 'Avatar' release will just include the film itself – no bells or whistles. According to the studio, this is to allow for optimum picture and sound quality. Some cynics may interpret the move as an opportunity to milk this cash cow for all it's worth by separating the sale of the film from the disk with the bonus features. Since we're playing the devil's advocate here, wouldn't two separate releases also create more packaging waste, not to mention fuel emissions from shipping two separate products? Just sayin'...

Cynicism aside, it's nice to have some Earth Day options that are a little more exciting than Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. It undoubtedly delivered an important message that everyone should hear, but I'd rather take in my eco-messaging in 3D, with a dash of romance and a whole lot of giant blue people.